Harley-Davidson aims to make Ryder, North Dakota, its first fully motorcycle licensed town | North Dakota News

RYDER — Harley-Davidson is offering the western North Dakota town of Ryder quite a deal this weekend.

The Milwaukee-based company that produces the popular lines of cruiser, touring and custom motorcycles is offering the entire town of 85 people a chance to learn to ride and become licensed.

The goal is to create the first fully motorcycle licensed town.

“In Ryder – and across the country – Harley-Davidson is passionate about creating opportunities for new riders to experience and enjoy the sport of motorcycling. With summer quickly approaching, there’s never been a better time to learn how to ride a motorcycle,” said Anoop Prakash, director of marketing in the U.S. for Harley-Davidson in a news release. “By teaching the entire town of Ryder we believe we’ll show others how easy – and fun – it can be to make the switch from four wheels to two.”

Ryder, located about 40 miles southwest of Minot in Ward County, is welcoming the opportunity, too.

To commemorate the experience, Ryder city officials will change the town’s name to “Riders” this riding season.

Additionally, to help welcome future riders, Harley-Davidson helped refurbish the town’s water tower – mirroring the design of the water tower that sits atop Harley-Davidson headquarters in Milwaukee.

“The town of Ryder welcomes the roar of Harley-Davidson motorcycles down Main Street,” Mayor Jody Reinisch said about all of the attention. “We’re excited to see several generations of Ryder residents on motorcycles learning together, trying new life experiences and enjoying the beauty of our town and surrounding area like never before.”